


Dark Waters

by raidelle



Series: Raidelle's Alphabet Prompts [10]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, M/M, Post-Altissia, Post-Episode Ignis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-06-26 04:00:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15655338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raidelle/pseuds/raidelle
Summary: After the events in Altissia, Ignis is overwhelmed by a torrent of emotions.





	Dark Waters

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sauronix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sauronix/gifts).



> The chosen prompt was **Afraid** for Gladnis.
> 
> I hope my first foray into writing (real?) angst is, well, angsty enough.

Ignis woke up from a very unsettling dream of Crystals and prophecies, straight into a living, breathing nightmare. All of his senses kicked into high gear the moment he regained consciousness, his body seemingly determined to compensate for his lost vision with sheer intensity of… all other things.

He could feel the individual threads of the bed sheet and the blanket, both of which were unbearably soft against his skin. The tang of seawater, mixed with wood and metal and blood, insistently pushed its way up his nostrils. The scent made his already throbbing head pulse with even more uncomfortable pain. Even the light breeze floating in through the open windows sounded unnaturally loud to him, the whisper of the fluttering curtains grating in his ears.

And then there was that tingle of magic flowing in his veins, the remnants of the borrowed power from the Crystal. The feeling has yet to fade, a steady buzz under his skin that makes him want to scratch and claw at it until he was raw and bleeding. He wanted it out of his system; it wasn’t as if his blindness weren’t enough of a reminder of his failure and his foolishness.

Ignis knew it now, how foolish it was to think that his devotion would mean his worthiness. He knew Noct was born and destined for greatness, and Ignis would have done anything to help him fulfill his preordained fate as the Chosen King. But never would he have guessed the cost.

And how fair was it, really, to place the burden of saving the world upon the shoulders of one young man? To bind a person so inextricably to his purpose that there was no way out? But Ignis supposed that all of them were mere pieces in a twisted game of chance played by gods and kings, and had no real choice in the matter of their destinies.

He closed his fists around the infuriatingly silken sheets in bitter anger, an overwhelming urge to cry washing over him. A deep sense of perverse satisfaction coursed through him as tears pricked behind his eyes: the Kings of Yore had taken his sight from him, but not the ability to weep over his losses.

And so Ignis wept. He cried resentful, angry tears, and he choked on raging sobs that shook his entire body and echoed in his soul. The Six-damned covers were mocking him in their softness even as his emotions roiled, the light wind screaming in his ears about duty and sacrifice and doom.

“Iggy?”

He laughed, harsh and sarcastic. Even a beloved voice now sounded torturously loud. Perhaps it will ease after some time, when his body has become used to his handicap, but right now Gladio is calling his name and the usual calming bass is a thundering rumble.

“What? What is it?” he said. His tone was biting, and he imagined Gladio wincing as the words hissed through gritted teeth.

When Gladio didn’t immediately reply -- did it usually take him so long to respond? -- he demanded, “What happened?” Their luck had been in short supply since the beginning of this Astrals-forsaken journey that Ignis wouldn’t have been surprised if Gladio had come to deliver more bad news. He swiped angrily at his face and flicked away the last of his tears.

With a heavy sigh, Gladio said, “Nothing’s happened, Iggy. I brought you breakfast.” He placed the tray on the bedside table; by the thump and clink of the contents and the smell wafted by the breeze, Ignis guessed that breakfast would be soup, toast, and coffee. They held no appeal to him. Not that he would have preferred a feast; no, Ignis was simply not interested in food right now. There were other things to worry about.

“Shouldn’t you be with Noct?” he said acidly. “You’re his _Shield_ , Gladiolus. What if something does happen?”

“He’s with Prompto. And we both know that that kid would die before he lets anything happen to Noct,” Gladio said. 

“Even so --”

“Ignis.” Gladio’s use of his full name startled him into silence, and the Shield took advantage of this to soldier on. “Nothing is going to happen, okay? If something does, then we’ll deal with it. All four of us.”

“We can’t just _let_ things happen, Gladio!” Ignis snapped. “There are things we can do to prevent --”

“No, there aren’t!” Gladio let out a growl of frustration. “We don’t own other people’s minds, Iggy. We don’t know what they’re gonna do, the decisions they’re gonna make. So we can’t prevent anything from happening because we don’t know what’s gonna happen next!”

 _But I do_ , Ignis wanted to scream at him. _Noctis is going to die. That’s what’s going to happen and then I would have failed not just Noctis but also his father._ “I’m a strategist. I should be able to… I should be able to --”

“What’s this all about, Iggy?” Gladio cut off his ramblings. He finally went to sit down beside Ignis, reaching out to hold him by the shoulders as if to shake some sense into him should he still insist on his arguments. “What’s going on with you?” he asked, voice pitched low and soft. Even then, it still sounded unnaturally loud and Ignis had to shake his head and scrunch his eyes against the ringing in his ears.

He didn’t know whether or not to tell Gladio what he knew. He was sure that, one way or another, Noct _would_ grow into his role as the Chosen King. He was also sure that Noct would willingly walk to his death when the time comes. And while he was torn, while his heart was breaking even as he thought of it, he was sure he would come to terms with that inevitable future as well.

Gladio, on the other hand… he was raised to be in service of his King. It was his purpose. He was an Amicitia, through and through, and he was born to die as a Shield. And what was a Shield without his King? For Ignis knew that even with Prompto’s deep affections, it would be Gladio who would be hit the hardest if -- _when_ Noctis dies.

Ignis knew he should have more faith in Gladio. He was strong and capable, dependable in ways that Ignis is not. Gladio might very well be the only one among them who would be able to keep it together after everything else has happened.

But nothing is set in stone, apart from the inescapable future that has now been engraved in his mind. The darkness that now filled his dreams and waking thoughts. And as much as he knows Gladio and his strength, Ignis couldn’t bear to burden him with this knowledge. Not yet. He feared that Gladio’s fortitude would fracture, and then he would lose him too as surely as he would lose Noctis.

And there it was. The true reason behind this overflow of hate and resentment. Ignis took Gladio’s hands from his shoulders and went to curl himself up against the other man. Gladio’s arms immediately went to wrap around him, and Ignis allowed himself to be soothed.

“I’m scared, Gladio,” he finally admitted, whispering the words into that broad chest that had been his refuge since he’d first allowed himself to indulge what his heart and body craved. “I’m terrified.”

Gladio clutched him closer. “I know, babe. I’m scared, too. But we’ll face it together, yeah?” He pressed a kiss to the top of Ignis’s head.

Gladio’s lips were too soft, his beard too rough. Arms too confining and heavy and hot. But Ignis endured. He would learn how to temper everything. Including his fear. And then, he hoped desperately, despite everything, everything would be all right.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are very much appreciated. :)
> 
> Come say hello to me on Tumblr. I'm raidelle there, too. :)


End file.
